The Pulpit Commentary — Numbers — Section 280

mind, perhaps many a time she had wept bitterly over her pride and envy in the past ; ~ut Go?'s ~ete~inations ?ann~t be set aside, and even when the earthly Canaan 1s agam commg m eight, that sight 1s not for her. There was no way for Miriam, any more than the rest of us, to escape that suffering and lose in thi,s world which eo often come from wrong-doing. As to her·poseible part in the better country, there is necessary silence here. It is Christ who brought life and immortality to light. The great thing to be noticed is that Miriam died in Ke.desh, was buried there and consequently failed of entrance into the earthly Canaan.-Y. ' Vere. 2-13.-The gi,jt of water at Meribah. I. THE COHPLAINT OI!' THE PEOPLE. 1. It was occasioned by a pressing and reasm<ible want. " There was no water for the congregation." The people were often discontented without cause, but here ,vas a real strait. Experience shows that many so-called necessities, instead of being necessities, are even injurious. Life might be made more simple and frugal with no loss, but rather increase, of the highest joys of life. But if we are to live here at all there are some things necessary. The bread and the water must be sure. 2. There was no apparent 8Upply for the want. We may presume that for the most part Israel bad found water, even in the wilderness, without much difficulty. Unobserved and unappreciated, God may have opened up many fountains before the Israelites approached. Hence when they came to Kadesh and found the rocks dry, they hastily judged there was no water. We are very dependent on customary outward signs. 3. Past ezperience of simuar circ-itmstances should ha.ve led to calm faith and expectation. God bad made sweet for them the bitter waters of Marah, and directly after brought them to Elim with its ample supply (Exod. xv. 23-27). And when they came to Rephidim, and found no water, Moses by command of God smote the rock in Horeb (Exod. xvii.). But then the rising generation had not been sufficiently instructed in these things, and impressed with the goodness of God. How should unbelieving and forgetting fathers make believing and mindful children ? If we would only base our expectations on what God bas done in the past, we should look in vain for occasion of fear and doubt. After Jesus had fed one multitude, the disciples had yet to ask with respect to another," Whence should we have so much bread in the wilderness, as to fill so great a multitude?" (Matt. xv. 33). Consider also Matt. xvi. 5-10. We continually, and in the most perverse way, confine our views of what is possible within the limitations of our own natural powers. To God the wilderness is as the fruitful field, and the fruitful field ae the wilderness. IIe can make the earth whatever pleases him (Ps. cvii. 33-39). 4. The complaints of the people were not co'f/Jined to the urgent need. They do not approach Moses with a simple, humble plea for water. They bad not considered why they bad been brought to Kadesh, and that in the plans of God they were bound to come again into that district, whether water was there or not. First of all they utter an impious, !tasty wish, though if it had been ta.ken seriously they would have complained bitterly. Men are apt to say they wish they were dead when really their circumstances are more endurable than those of many who have learned, like the apostle, in whatsoever state they are, therewith to be content. A discontented heart makes a reckless tongue. The expression was used thoughtlessly enough, just as many take God's name in vain, hardly conscious of what they are saying. Next they advance to an unjust reproach. Forty years of Divine chastisements, sharp and severe, hnd taught them nothing. They could see nothing more than thRt Moses and Aaron were lee.ding the people about at their own will. How easy it is through our ignore.nee of the unseen God to attribute to the men whom we do see a power immensely beyond their resources. The people came back to KadeMh e.s they left it, blind, ungrateful, inconsiderate as ever. Moses ani Aaron, sorrowing for their dead sister, have once age.in to listen to accusations which long ago had been answered by God himself. The reproach is mingled with vain regrets, stul 8'Urviving all these years of chastisement. There could not now be many survivors of the generation that had come out of Egypt, yet, doubtless, all the while Egypt had been so often mentioned e.s to have deeply infected the minds of the younger generation. Garrulous old people, who might so easily hove inspired their children by telling them of God's dealings with Phnrnoh in Egypt and at the Red Sea., and of all his goodness in the wilderness, wero rather poisoning  264 THE BOOK OF NUMBERS. [CH, XX, 1-!,19,